Retailers ramp up pressure on Reeves to scrap tax break for e-commerce rivals May 27, 2026 Retailers have urged Rachel Reeves to “revitalise the high street” by speeding up plans to close a tax break which they say unfairly favours Chinese e-commerce rivals. High street giants like Next, M&S and Primark have urged the Chancellor to impose a £2.60 flat fee on small parcels to rebalance a system which they say [...]
Greencore shares slide as M&S sandwich supplier counts cost of Bakkavor takeover May 27, 2026 Food manufacturer Greencore counted the cost of its mammoth deal with rival Bakkavor as integration expenses plunged the firm to a loss in the first half of the year. The FTSE 250 firm – which is a supplier to countless supermarket giants including Tesco, Sainsbury’s and M&S – was weighed down by upfront costs associated [...]
Pets at Home hails ‘better momentum’ despite profit slip May 27, 2026 Pets at Home has hailed “better momentum” in its bit to return to growth, as profit and revenue fell again while its turnaround remains in its early stages. The FTSE 250 pet supplies retailer and veterinary group saw profit before tax dip by 28 per cent to £86.5m, while group revenue fell by one per [...]
As it happened: US-Iran peace hopes sends oil lower; Brits handed energy price cap blow May 27, 2026 Good morning and welcome back to the City PM liveblog. Global markets were able to take the new developments in the Middle East in their stride on Tuesday amid hopes a peace deal was on the horizon. The FTSE 100 ended the day in the green and despite some choppy trading oil prices eased. This [...]
Next boss slams Labour’s zero-hour contracts crackdown May 26, 2026 The boss of Next has slammed the government’s crackdown on zero-hour contracts and called on Labour to unwind its “employment taxes”. Lord Simon Wolfson, chief executive of the FTSE 100 retailer, said the government’s plans to force employers to offer guaranteed hours to those on flexible contracts will make it “much harder” for Next to [...]
As it happened: Petrol prices surge to Iran war record as Kingfisher helps lift stocks higher May 26, 2026 Good morning and welcome back to the City PM liveblog. The City is returning from the Bank Holiday break to find the tensions in the Middle East continuing in a stalemate – or perhaps a further escalation than last week. After days of threats President Donald Trump has issued a strike on Iran, which he [...]
Brewdog founder James Watt launches ‘equity punk’ comeback May 23, 2026 Brewdog founder James Watt has launched a comeback after the craft beer firm he co-founded collapsed earlier this year. Watt said on Friday he will launch Second Best, a new crowdfunded beer venture, in a bid to win back the “equity punks” who were left empty handed in Brewdog’s sale. The divisive entrepreneur said he [...]
Businesses brace for more layoffs as redundancy warnings climb to post-Pandemic high May 22, 2026 Last year emerged as the most severe year for redundancy warnings since the height of the Covid pandemic, and early 2026 is already accelerating that trend. According to new data from the Liquidation Centre, sourced via an FOI, 2025 was the most severe year for redundancy warnings since 2020, with 315,605 jobs flagged for potential [...]
As it happened: Stocks jump on peace hopes; Reeves hit by falling retail sales and surge in borrowing May 22, 2026 Good morning and welcome back to the City PM liveblog. Oil prices remain volatile and heightened as peace talks in the Middle East continue to run into stumbling blocks. Brent crude futures were up to $104 this morning following reports that Iran’s Supreme Leader was ordering for the nation’s enriched uranium reserves to remain in [...]
Costco UK profit soars as Brits buy in bulk amid cost of living pressures May 20, 2026 Profit at Costco’s UK subsidiary has soared as Brits flocked to the wholesaler to buy in bulk in a bid to swerve cost of living pressures. The grocery chain, which has 29 stores across the UK, including six in London, generated pre-tax profit of £218.6m in the year to the end of August 2025, a [...]
